Arizona is full of natural wonders, and one unique attraction lies between the towns of Winslow and Flagstaff along Route 66 – called Arizona’s Great Meteor Crater or Barringer Crater (Meteor Crater Natural Landmark). This crater was formed around 50,000 years ago when a meteorite struck the Earth.
The crater is located on private land, where a family has established a research and visitor center. It has been studied since the early 1900s, and it was not until the 1960s that it was confirmed to have resulted from a meteorite impact.
The crater measures approximately 1.2 kilometers in diameter and is up to 170 meters deep, suggesting that the impacting meteorite was around 40-45 meters in diameter.
The visitor center features a museum with extensive information about the meteorite and its research, as well as general space-related knowledge. The largest fragment of the meteorite found in the crater is also on display at the museum.
From the visitor center, there are impressive views of the crater, and visitors can also walk along the crater’s rim. During our visit, it was quite windy and cold outside, so it’s advisable to bring warm clothing just in case.
You can explore the site independently or join guided tours. We enjoyed exploring the rim observation platforms and museum on our own, but if you’re more interested in the topic, guided tours are sure to be fascinating. Basic admission tickets to this site were $18 per adult.
Naturally, there is also a gift shop where we bought a piece of meteorite as a souvenir.
